“I will not receive the grand prize” Lee Je-hoon declares a bombshell

The investigative drama 'Chief of Investigation', which enjoyed the greatest popularity in the 1980s and 1980s with a peak viewership rating of 70%, returns after 35 years with the prequel 'Chief of Investigation 1958'. Lee Je-hoon emphasized the strong 'teamwork' of 'Investigation Team Leader 1958', even declaring, "I will not receive the grand prize."

On the 18th, a production presentation for MBC's new Friday-Saturday drama 'Investigation Chief 1958' was held at MBC Golden Mouse Hall in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Actors Lee Je-hoon, Lee Dong-hwi, Choi Woo-sung, Yoon Hyun-soo and director Kim Seong-hoon attended the event.

'Investigation Chief 1958' is a prequel to 'Investigation Chief', which wrote the history of Korean investigative dramas, and is set in 1958, when detective Park Young-han (played by Lee Je-hoon) was appointed to Seoul. It tells the story of Detective Park Young-han, who specializes in apprehending petty thieves in a barbaric era, as he teams up with three unique colleagues to break the absurdities of corrupt power with common sense and become a detective for the people. Director Kim Seong-hoon, who directed the films 'Confidential Assignment' and 'Rampant', took the lead.

Director Kim Seong-hoon said, "It is a remake of MBC's long-loved 'Investigation Chief'. It is a prequel to the events that took place before Park Young-han became the chief. You will be able to get a good sense of the times, and won't the wonderful stories of great actors entertain viewers? “I want to,” he explained.

Lee Je-hoon plays the younger version of Park Young-han, played by Choi Bul-am, in 'Chief of Investigation'. Park Young-han is an impregnable 'hillbilly detective' equipped with a smart plan, and is a person who is more humane than anyone else, but has the firmness and insight of an iron horn that is unwavering under any external pressure.

Lee Je-hoon said he met teacher Choi Bul-am for the first time at a script reading. He said, "I was very nervous because I had to portray Young-Han Park in front of the teacher. I was so distraught that I couldn't remember whether I had read the script properly. After reading the second part, the teacher said, "The detective named Park Young-Han must have been full of anger inside. “He talked a lot about humanism,” he said. “It was difficult to imitate Choi Bul-am on the outside, so I tried hard to express Park Young-han by inheriting his spirit and heart.”

Regarding the part that he focused on while acting, he said, "For those who watched the original 'Investigation Chief', I wanted to include scenes that would make them reminisce about the character Park Young-han. For friends who haven't seen the original, I hope it will be a drama that will make them curious about the old 'Investigation Chief'." “I acted with hope,” he said. “I think it’s the first time I’ve been this angry while filming, so I wanted to show my growth through the process, so I was reckless at first, but I had heart, determination, and passion. “I tried to show myself full of silver,” he said.

Lee Je-hoon said, "I've never watched 'Investigation Chief' on TV. I've only heard about it, but I think the opening song was embedded in it whether I knew it or not. I was excited and excited every time I heard it. The actors and staff all worked hard to not be embarrassed. “I am confident that I chose this project.”

Were there any concerns about overlapping with the characters shown in previous investigative and genre works such as ‘Signal’ and ‘Model Taxi’? Lee Je-hoon said, “When I was offered this work, the view of viewers who wanted to see a prequel to this work was greater than the thought of having to play Detective Park Young-han.” He added, “When the moment came to act and film, I was very scared.” “I was worried about whether I could take over the role well and whether I could express it without overlapping with the previous investigative and genre works, so I focused on the humanism of detective Park Young-han,” he said.

Kim Sang-sun, played by Lee Dong-hwi, is a detective with nothing but grit and venom, and is known as the 'mad dog' of the Jongnam Police Station. Just as he was growing tired of being filled with anger at the corruption-plagued reality, he meets Park Young-han, a different kind of detective who looks different from him, and reaches a turning point in his life as a detective.

Lee Je-hoon revealed that he hopes to win the 'Best Couple Award' at the year-end awards ceremony. When asked who he would like to receive the Best Couple Award between Lee Dong-hwi and Seo Eun-soo, Lee Dong-hwi was the first to withdraw, saying, "As a beautiful loser, I want to give in. Don't I have my own personal story too?" Lee Je-hoon also said, "I will choose actor Seo Eun-soo to take over the loss. Detective Park Young-han must have loved her and started a family, so I thought it would be richer and happier if I showed that kind of story. It would be fun to watch their love story." He said.

Choi Woo-sung takes on the role of Gyeong-hwan Cho, the ‘brown-armed man’ of the Jongnam Police Station, who grows from a young man from a rice farm to a bulldozer police officer with a strong sense of justice. When asked how he felt when he was cast, Choi Woo-sung said, "I was shocked when I first heard that I had been cast." When MC Park Kyung-rim corrected the word to say 'teolteoreum' instead of 'teolteoreum', the scene erupted in laughter. Choi Woo-sung apologized, saying, “I was right. I’m sorry.” He added, “After I was cast, I looked up what kind of person Kyung-hwan Kyung was, and he had a really big figure. I started eating with the thought that I should follow this figure. I gained about 25 kg. “I really wanted to do it,” he said.

Lee Je-hoon, who won the SBS Drama Awards for last year's 'Model Taxi 2'. Since you won the grand prize, are you looking forward to this year’s MBC Drama Awards as well? In response, Lee Je-hoon said, "I still can't believe that I won the grand prize last year. I think I lack the acting skills and other elements to receive the grand prize. If I live up to the expectations of viewers through this work, I may look forward to it at the awards ceremony, but I won't be able to do it." “The person I want is the teamwork award,” he said. When Park Kyung-rim asked, "Would you turn it down even if they gave you the grand prize?" Lee Je-hoon said, "Yes," and declared, "I'm so jealous. If you were to give me the grand prize or the teamwork award, I think I'd choose the teamwork award."

MBC's Friday-Saturday dramas are continuing to be box office hits four times in a row, from 'Lovers' to 'Veign Woman Park's Contract Marriage', 'Flowers that Bloom at Night', and 'Wonderful World'. Lee Je-hoon said, "The previous works received a lot of love. I hope that this work will continue that momentum and do well. I hope that it will have the highest viewership rating among MBC works broadcast in 2024. Depending on the title, the viewership rating is 19.58%." The viewership ratings were revealed.

‘Investigation Team Leader 1958’ will premiere on the 19th at 9:50 PM.

Taeyuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr